The truth hurts
by Take-bamboo
Summary: Is that true?" "Yes, you bear the child of this sesshoumaru" A trap that caused the two unlikely lover together. Will they come to love each other? And what about the child?
1. The truth hurts

"Is that true?" the girl asked him in a cautious and firm tone.

She had accidentally overheard something about her condition from the gossips within the servants in the castle. She was shocked and bewildered. How could this happen to her? It was only a trap…one night… It can't be true.

_No. I must have heard it wrongly. _She kept reassuring herself. Unconsciously she touched her stomach. _It's still flat. _She put down her hand slightly relieved but still uncertain. She got to ask him. He must have known something. Without wasting anytime, she walked quickly to the library where he would be working.

Now standing in front of him, she held her breath. She was afraid, afraid that all of this is true.

He stared back at her, not speaking. He was irritated by her rudeness to interrupt him in the midst of his work. But upon looking at her face and her question, he felt tensed. He had no idea how she knew about this. _Damn rumors. _No, he couldn't tell her the truth. He did not wish to see this girl get hurt again, become lost again. He had promised that he would take responsibility but this..is not what he had expected too.

Looking at his passive expression, she asked him again, "Is it true that I am with child?" She almost choked after finishing the sentence. Oh, how she wanted to know the truth and how she hated him. Always so unemotional, so cold and so untouchable. Sometimes, she really wished she could be like him, always being calm and cool. So perfect.

She looked at him waiting for him to answer. He nodded his head slightly. Though it was only a small gesture, she felt she was struck by a lightning.

_No…_

She held on to the tears that threatened to fall. She would not cry in front of him. "Are you sure?" she asked him again. This time like a whisper while her body trembled.

He saw it all and knew she wanted an answer with not action but words.

_The truth hurts._

"Yes. You bear the child of this Sesshoumaru." He said out the cruel fact unemotionally.


	2. Comfort

Comfort

"Liar." She breathed out the word, unsure whether she is replying him or talking to herself. She couldn't bear it anyone, the tears fall down her cheeks and she ran out of the library. She did not wish to be weak in front of him. Running to her room, she kneeled down near the futon and cried.

_It's not true. It's not true. _

She's only fifteen. Though it was common to be a mother of one or two in her age in this era but she was not from this time. She still has not finish her high school, she still wants to work, she still has so much to do. She could not have this whole thing to destroy her future. Lifting her hand to rest on her stomach. This child is not what she wanted. She did not even love the father of this child. She loved Inuyasha. Why did this happen to her? Isn't the last time too hard on her? She had managed to pull through the last time and now…why? She really did not wish to live anymore. She could not take it anymore. Why must she be brought to this world? Why must she be able to sense the shikon shards? Why must she always be the one that lost to kikyo? Why can't I just be any normal girl in her times?

There were many whys in her thought but nobody could answer them.

She lost her desire to live. Slowly, she took out the knife from her obi. _Maybe death was the only way out. _Without a second thought, she aimed the knife to her heart. Just as she was about to stab herself, something hit her hand and the knife flew out of her hand and landed far away from her, across the room.

"Be calm, miko."

Glaring at the man who spoilt her plan. She yelled at him, "Be CALM! You asked me to be calm? How could I be calm when this happened? I am not like you. The almighty Sesshoumaru. I am what you hate, a human, a worthless wench!"

"Woman." He frowned at her, warning her that no one speak to him like that.

"You think I am scared of you? This is your entire fault! If you have not went to look for Naraku that night, nothing will have happened. All because of you!" Her face flushed with anger as she yelled at him.

He remained silent and slowly approached the girl.

"Stay where you are!"

Since birth, he had never listened to anyone's instruction before. However, he stopped walking upon hearing her words.

"I don't need your comfort. I never need your pity!"

Pity? Did he pity her? A youkai pitying a human. When did he start doing that? He promised to take responsibility because he pity her? Really, sometimes he just can't stand this human, this girl. He could not be himself when he was with her He could not control his emotion when he was with her. Why is that so?

He approached her again.

"Go a—" she was cut off when she felt she was in the arm of him.

"Let go!" She tried to struggle out of his embrace but her human strength can never compare to his demon's ability. After much tries, she gave up and simply rested her head on his chest and cried.

"Calm down, Kagome." This time his voice was softer and he touched her hair smothering her.

"You don..'t un..derstand." she protested in between sobs.

How can he ever understand how fragile a human is? How can he ever understand how she felt? How can he ever know how much she was broken? This arrogant youkai who did not care a bit about human. Yet, deep inside his heart he knew that this girl was hurt and confused many times more than he was.

"I do. Kagome, I do." He said as he hugged her tightly.


	3. confusion

Confusion

"Sesshoumaru sama~!" Jaken voice can be heard from the west wing the castle as he started running in between rooms to search for his master. The hanyou and his friends had arrived at the Western castle and he needed to inform that to his lord immediately. He was just finishing searching and running through the rooms of the west wing when he smelled his lord's scent at the opposite end of the isle.

Subconsciously, he noted that his lord's scent was present in the room of the filthy wench who travelled with the hanyou. Jaken did not like the wench. She had beaten him many times and made him a fool. Though he was grateful that she had saved him once or twice if his memory did not fail him (for he was old), he still did not trust anyone who associated him or herself with the hanyou. Not that he hated the inu-tachi. But he had pleged his loyalty to Sesshoumaru sama, therefore the only one he would serve was Sesshoumaru sama and no one else. And he would protect Sesshoumaru sama till his death, not from evil or demons but from ruining his reputations.

That was why he was very puzzled when his lord allowed a human child to follow them. He was so reluctant to take care of the child, Rin, as his lord himself had proclaimed he despised humans and bringing the child along would definitely attracted unwanted attention from youkais of other ranks and regions. While they were traveling to find Naraku, they met many youkais (Jakotsu, Kagura, etc) and Jaken felt that it was all because of the little girl. Rin had brought troubles and burden to his lord and he wondered why his lord would not dispose of the child. However, as the loyal servant he would not go against his lord's wishes and protect the child within his abilities. He really felt guilty when he failed to prevent Rin from being kidnapped. He found that while spending time with Rin, he had started to care for the little girl, and changed some perspectives of human beings. (except that human are talkative and playful.)

And then there was this wench that travel with his lord's half-brother. He was shocked. No shocked was an understatement. He was bewildered when he saw his lord returned that morning with the girl in his lord's arms. The girl was sleeping and wearing only his lord's outer hatori. He knew something was amissed but dare not ask and followed quitely behind his lord back to the Western castle. Now, he had known the truth and felt sorry for his lord and maybe a little pity for the girl. _Poor Sesshoumaru sama. The child will no doubt be a hanyou. _

He slowly approached the wench's room. The wench was surely a powerful miko and definitely shows much more courage than any human beings he met. Maybe he will also come to care for this wench, who will soon give birth to the child of his lord, just like how he started to care for Rin. One always has hope.

"Sesshoumaru sama~!" He cried again as he pushed open the door without knocking. His mouth gaped wide open as he saw the scene in front of him. _Sesshoumaru sama comforting the miko!!! I must be getting old. _

His lord glared daggers at him after he stepped into the room. The girl immediately tensed and wanted to be out of his embrace but he only tighten his hold. "What is it?" he asked coldly.

"Er.. .my lor..d ..... Inu..ya..sha had arr...ived." the toad managed to stammered out this sentence

His lord paused a while thinking.

"Hm. Call for Satsuki and leave. I will be there soon."

"Yes, my lord." Jaken bowed and rushed off to search for Satsuki and asking the Inu-tachi to wait at the main building of the castle.

After the toad had left, he turned his gaze back to the girl. The girl was in deep thought and she looked up at him, "I do not wish to see them yet." her voice was soft and he could hear the tiredness from her voice.

"Hm. You will rest now." Slowly, he scooped her up and placed her on the futon.

"Sesshoumaru...Thank you." The girl whispered after she slipped into the blankets.

He stared at her, confused as to why she would thank him. Because he comforted her? Or because he allowed her to rest? Or is it...he wanted to ask her but pushed that off his mind when he found that she was already in her sleep.

_Such a strange creature. _He glanced at her for a while and picked up the knife on the floor before leaving the room. He still had other matters to attend to. Satsuki was already outside the room, waiting for further instructions. She was one of the servants assigned to take care of the girl.

"Guard her and make sure she does not do anything foolish."

"Yes, my lord."

With that, he left for the main building where the half-breed was.


	4. Knowing the truth

Knowing the truth

"Where is Kagome?" the hanyou yelled at his half brother after seeing him stepped into the main building.

Inuyasha was furious to know that his half-brother had taken Kagome back to his Western lands after they had a fight with Naraku's creations. Especially after Kagome was hurt badly by Kagura's attack and breathed in some of the poisonous miasma. It was the monk who told the group that Sesshoumaru had carried Kagome back to the Western lands and "kindly" asked the group to join them. The group had traveled for three days and had barely recovered from the battle. They are all tired and famished.

"She is safe." The inuyoukai answered half-heartedly.

"I said where is she!" Inuyasha shouted at him.

"You have no rights to ask, half breed." The inuyoukai replied with a smirk.

"Why you~!" As always the impulsive and easily angered hanyou attacked his half-brother using his claws, ready to scratch his half brother.

Sesshoumaru easily dodged the attack and then grabbed Inuyasha by the collar non-too gently and threw him out of the hall to the field.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku shouted as the Inu-tachi rushed out of the hall towards the field.

"This is not the place to fight, my dear brother." Sesshoumaru said as he stepped out of the main building and stood on the field, a few metres away from the hanyou. Some guards of the Western house had also gathered at the side of the field armed and ready to protect their lord.

"Bastard! Where did you hide her?" The hanyou said with clenched teeth, glaring at his half-brother and threatened to use the Tetsusaiga blade.

"Be assured, she is safe under this Sesshoumaru's protection." The inuyoukai stood with poise, unmoved by the hanyou's threats.

"Keh! Like hell I would believe you! Kagome is mine to protect!" Inuyasha barked back at his half-brother.

"Not anymore, halfbreed." The inuyoukai mocked the hanyou openly. "She now bares the child of this Sesshoumaru."

There was an eerie silence in the field. Every member of the inu-tachi group stood on the field stunned at this news. Their mouth gaped open widely. On the other hand, the servants and the guards of the Western house stood near the field impassively for they had known the news.

"Wh..at?" The hanyou was astonished and at the loss of words.

"You heard me. This Sesshoumaru does not repeat his words." The inuyoukai said smugly.

_It can't happen. _

"BASTARD! You _forced_ her." The hanyou bawled at the inuyoukai as he swung his blade at him. "_KAZE NO KIZU!!" _

The inuyoukai easily moved away from the attack. "You truly are a fool. This Sesshoumaru does not do things that disgrace his honor."'

"Shut up!" The hanyou said again as he rushed forward to threw another attack.

"I already told you this is not a place for battles." The inuyoukai sneered at the hanyou.

Unaware that some of the guards in the Western house had already prepared to attack him, Inuyasha was shocked when he was hit by katana on the back of his head and lost conscious immediately. It was one of the high-ranking guards, Tsuyou, also an Inu youkai, who had striked the hanyou. Seeing the hanyou now lay on the field, Tsuyou turned and bowed to his lord.

"My lord, the hanyou will not be waking until next morning."

"Good."

"My lord's orders?"

"Take him and the rest to the guestroom. We will attend to this matter tomorrow."

"Yes, my lord." Tsuyou bowed again at his lord and quickly moved on to attend to the orders. "Please follow me." He said to the Inu-tachi and walked towards the guestrooms while one of the guards carried the hanyou.

Hi thank you guys for your support to this story. I would be working on it, so don't worry. Anyway, please feel free to review and comment on my story. It would be great if you give me some suggestions too! Thanks a lot.


	5. Realisation

Realization

"Houshi sama, do you have any idea how Kagome chan fall into the hands of Sesshoumaru." Sango asked Miroku wearily after they were assigned there guest room. Inuyasha was now lying flat on a futon in the sleeping room.

"No. There must be something we missed out." Replied Miroku as he tried hard to recall the events that happened. "Remember the last battle we had with Naraku, he said something about Kagome chan, that she will not be with Inuyasha anymore."

_The battle _

_Naraku was laughing menacingly as he saw Sesshoumaru also appeared at the battlefield. "So the youkai lord had come after all. I was hoping that you would come sooner." _

_The inuyoukai stood unfazed by the greeting. _

"_Keh. What does this got to do with him! Take this! Kaze no kizu!" Inuyasha yelled at the hanyou as he swung his sword at him. _

"_So, the little brother does not know what happened." Naraku smirked. _

"_Know what?" Inuyasha yelled back as he straightened himself again to make another swing._

"_That the miko will not be yours anymore, she had been..." the detestable hanyou's words were cut off by a sacred arrow. Kagome had just shot an arrow at him, glaring at him and daring him to say another word as she prepared to shoot another arrow at him. _

"_Ah… so the miko fear that her fellow friend knows the truth." Naraku smirked as he looked at the miko. _

_Kagome gritted her teeth as her spiritual power surged and flow into the arrows. _

"_You talk too much." The Inuyoukai said as he raised his Tokujin and strike at the hanyou. The hanyou dodged the attack but was hit at the left side by another arrow shot at him. _

"_Kagome, what's going on?" Inuyasha asked worriedly at the miko. She was standing beside him with another arrow ready to shoot at the hanyou. Her eyes showed a mixture of emotions, anger, irritation, most of all fear. Why fear? _

_The miko appeared not to hear him and instead said to him, "Inuyasha, get ready to use Wind Scar." Her tone was different, she was trembling with fury and there was hint of fright as she prepared to shoot another arrow. He knew she was trying to avoid something, but what? _

"_Kukuku, you are a fiery one" Naraku looked at his injured left hand and back to the miko._

"Then Kagura came and attacked us while Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru sama was dealing with Naraku." continued Miroku.

"In the end, we all got hurt quite badly and Lady Kagome was hit unconscious by the Dance of Blades after she was separated from Inuyasha." Sango added.

"and Sesshoumaru sama came and took her away" Shippo continued.

"asking us to retrieve Lady Kagome at the Western castle." Miroku ended.

There was a pause as every one in the group tried to refresh their memories.

"But what does this got to do with Naraku and Kagome being pregnant with ..with.." Shippo asked curiously but could not finish the sentence.

"Ah, Shippo chan, did you remember Lady Kagome went back to her home last month, then Inuyasha said he sensed Lord Sesshoumaru's ward and the toad nearby." Miroku prompted.

"You mean the western lord was there when Kagome left for the well."

"Yup, it was faint but I could still sense a powerful youki and now I realize it belongs to the western lord. There was another youki though but not as strong."

"Then?" shippo asked eagerly.

"It was also the mating season for certain youkais. My father once told me of a poison which affects youkais, making the youkais lose judgements. It was used once to lure youkais to the scent of human females and then the demons which fell into the trap will then be killed by demon slayers waiting for their presence." Sango finished for the monk.

Piecing the little information together, Shippo thought for a while before speaking, "So you are saying that Sesshoumaru sama was probably poisoned, as well as Kagome. "

"Yes, by Naraku, no doubt as he is the only one who knew about this."

"But Lord Sesshoumaru is a powerful youkai, isn't he?" Shippo asked, refusing to believe the fact.

"Well, I have to agree but this kind of poison is rather powerful, and plus it was the mating season…" Sango replied thoughtfully.

"And Lady Kagome was so hard to resist." added the monk dreamily, earning a smack from the demon slayer as she scolded him "This is not the time to joke!"

Now, figuring out the mystery, the group fell silent as they were all worried for their beloved friend. After a long while, they all prepared to sleep.

"I want to see Kagome." Shippou whispered as he laid on the soft futon.

_Me too. _


	6. Kagome's thoughts

Her thoughts 

The sun had risen from the horizon. The youkai in the Western castle had already started moving around in the castle, tending to their duties.

Kagome had woken up before the sunrise and had finished her morning bath. She was sitting at the side of the pond in the garden outside her room, feeding the koi in the water and occasionally lifting her head up to look around the garden. Satsuki (maid assigned to look after her) was kneeling near her, all the while keeping quiet.

_Sesshoumaru must have sent her to keep an eye on me. _The miko let out a sign before throwing some fish food into the pond. She remembered her foolish actions the day before. She should really have calm down at the moment, not trying to commit suicide or shouting at the Inu youkai, or anything stupid. _Oh kami, what was I thinking at that time._ _Sesshoumaru must be very angry at me. _She blushed a little as she remembered how he had tried to comfort her, not that he was good at consoling people but it helped.

She did not blame him. Well not exactly when she was overwhelmed by the truth yesterday. Still, all this while, deep in her heart she knew she could never blame him for this. He was also a victim of this whole plot. Though he did not show, she knew he must be hurt badly too by this situation. Hurt may not be the best word to describe but the Inuyoukai did have to make quite a lot of sacrifice to this plot. Taking responsibility of what he had done but not what he wanted to do.

All this happened because of their common enemy Naraku – that disgusting, evil, gross, wicked bastard. He had planned all this. He had planned all this to break her, torture her, taint her. She knew that Naraku's ultimate goal was to taint her heart, make it fill with hatred and anger, so that he could control her. But no, she would never allow that to happen. As the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, she would not fall this trap. She would show that filthy hanyou that she would never fall for his trap. That she would never feel hatred to anyone else except him. That she would love the child, no matter what. That she would never allow him to win this battle. That he had underestimated her and the sickening hanyou would pay heavily for his actions.

_How I wish Mama were here. _From the time she woke up, she had been thinking about all this chaotic happenings. She really missed her mother warm embrace and comforting words. When she had gone home last month, her mother had hugged her and reassured her that she would always be there for her, supporting her.

Though her father was not around anymore, her mother had always been taking care of the family, grandfather, Souta and her. Her mother had worked many part time jobs to pay for their daily expenses and it was harder for her mother since she started her journey in the Sengoku Jidai. Adding on extra money to be spent on medical and food supplies, her bicycles – which was treated mercilessly by the idiot dog and her school uniforms. She had forgotten how many sets of school uniform she had bought since most of the time they are stained with blood. She ought to wear cheaper casual clothes in the Sengoku Jidai instead.

Now, her mum was working as a Japanese teacher, teaching in a local primary school and was a home tutor to some of the students to earn extra allowances. The offerings and donations made by shrine visitors are simply not enough to support the whole family. Souta would need new materials for Grade four and grandpa's health was not as good as last time. She had just heard her mother spent a few thousands yens for Souta to go to a fieldtrip in Shizuoka. As the first child, she really hoped she could do something for mother and the family.

Her mother had not blamed her for what had happened but stood by her side and told her to stay strong. _I would be strong, mother. _

Now, the problem was what she was going to say to her friends in this era. She could not just tell them the whole things, could she? They would surely be too shocked to say anything. Sango, Miroku and Shippo should be able to understand, but Inuyasha……how would he react. She was still afraid to face them, especially Inuyasha. _Gosh, you got to be strong and mature, Kagome. _Maybe she should just let the nature goes and do an impromptu questions and answers. She doubts she could manage it.

It was such a perfect irony that she, the companion of his half brother, would be under the Inuyoukai's care eventually. A Taiyoukai and a miko: the two nature enemies.

_Her life sucks. _


	7. A little happiness

A little happiness

Kagome let out another sign as she threw the rest of the fish food into the pond. The koi swam quickly towards the food, squeezing each other to snatch the food, causing the water to splash.

Satsuki looked silently at the girl, her lady. She was aware that the girl was depressed over some things and in deep thoughts. She had been signing a lot for the past hour. Satsuki was unsure how this girl captured the attention of her lord, the Lord of the Western Lands, who had declared he detested human beings. The girl she was looking at now was not just a human but also a miko, the youkai' nature enemies. How many youkai of the Western lands priestesses and priests had purified? She had lost count. Still, observing the girl for the past few days she resided in the Western castle, she found the girl to be exceptionally beautiful for a human and maybe as pretty as some of the female youkai. How did she…….

Satsuki was cut off from her train of thoughts. She can feel the presence of her lord. The Western Lord was walking towards them.

"Good morning, my lord." Satsuki bowed respectfully.

The girl just turned her head to look at the lord and gave him a small nod. "Morning." She greeted before turning her attention back to the pond and the garden.

_Such disrespect to the lord. _Satsuki thought but before she could say anything, the lord asked her to leave to attend to other matters.

"I see you did a good job in keeping her well¸ Satsuki. You can leave now."

"Thank you, my lord." She bowed again, surprised that the lord would praise a low servant like her and forgot all about the girl's rudeness as she left for her duties.

The young lord sat beside the girl on a big boulder. He, too, looked at the surrounding. The leaves of the trees are turning from green to red. _It's going to be autumn soon._ Some birds were flying across the blue sky, chirping happily. It's so peaceful. Neither of the two people spoke as the fish swam around the pond, searching for more food.

"I apologies." The girl's voice broke the silence and she turned her head to look at the lord.

The lord raised an eyebrow at her, evidently confused.

"I'm really sorry about yesterday. I shouldn't have shouted at you." She explained.

"Your actions were understood." The lord replied and paused a while before continuing. "Breakfast would be served in the hall, you could eat alone if you want."

Knowing what he was asking, she said, "That would be unnecessary, I would like to meet them."

"You are ready?" the lord asked, quite surprised at her readiness to meet her friend though he did not show his emotions.

"Hn." She said with slight determination.

"What would you say to them?" He was curious about how this girl would say to her companions.

"The truth. The whole scheme. Everything. " replied the girl, this time with much determination.

"They already know. I told them everything." The lord told her.

"You did?" she asked half surprised.

"Yes." Came his laconic reply. Not everything but he reckoned the group had found out the whole truth.

_They knew everything._ All this while she had been thinking about how to tell them the truth and now, all she had to do is meet them and see how they react to the whole matter.

"Geez, thanks for saving me the troubles, Sesshoumaru." She said standing up, brushing her kimono to straighten the creases.

"You are not happy." The lord stated, it was not a question. He had sensed her disgruntled.

"Neither are you." She retorted, glaring at him.

"And what make you think you _**know**_this Sesshoumaru, miko." He smiled dangerously at her as he also stood up and stepped closer to her.

"You are not unhappy about this?" She stepped back a little, taken aback by his statement.

"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrow again, avoiding her question, stepping closer and making her more discomforted.

"I mean this whole plot. Naraku's trap. This whole situation we are in now." She said quickly, avoiding eye contact with him, taking another step back.

"And what situation are we in, miko?" he smirked as he put a big step towards her, earning a squeak from her. She did not move back this time, she was too confused and frantic about the whole position. She is having a hard time to think straight.

"We being bond by a child?' she answered quickly, unsure of the reply. _The child. _ She had almost forgotten the whole thing about her being pregnant. She had not thought about the child, the child that will be a hanyou. An outcast, someone standing between the line of youkai and human, never will he be belonged to a group.

"Miko." Feeling the miko's emotions changed from embarrassment and uneasiness to worry and fear, the Western Lord lifted his hand and caressed her cheeks. She's so fragile, so easy to break her with his hand.

"Sesshoumaru…." The girl looked at him intensely as she lifted her hand to touch his hand and asked quietly. "Will you protect this child, no matter what the child is?"

So that was what she was afraid about. He knew the child would be a hanyou. He did not really dislike hanyous, just could not stand his idiotic half brother. The child was his and he would protect him not matter what.

"Don't ask silly question, miko." He looked at her earnestly. "This Sesshoumaru will protect what is his, this child is no exception."

Understanding that this was the way how the unemotional Western Lord express his love and care for the child. The girl felt relieved and extremely glad that he would do the same for the child, that he would love this child the way she would.

"Thank you." She said smiling at him as a few tears fall down her cheeks. They were not tears of sorrow. Instead they were tears of joy.

Hi guys, thank you all for your support. Tell me what do you think about these two chapters. Thanks. :D


	8. That’s what friends are for

That's what friends are for

This was the first time in the last month that she felt happy. She was really joyful and grateful that the impassive and exotic lord would care for the child. The unborn child inside her womb would not be abandoned or harmed. She was relieved.

"Your friends are waiting for you," said the Western Lord who was wiping away the tears that flowed down her cheeks. "Come."

"Hn," replied the miko smiling. She wiped her face quickly to dry away all the tears and followed the Inu youkai.

They came to the hall shortly where her friends are waiting for her.

"Sesshoumaru, I…" the girl hesitated at the door. She was still a bit afraid and unsure of what to do, especially Inuyasha, she did not know what she would say to him.

Sesshoumaru squeezed her hand gently and looked at her encouragingly, trying to reassure her everything will be all right.

"Okay." She breathed in deeply before lifting her hand to prepare to open the door. However, before she could do so, someone from the other side pushed open the door with a loud sound. It was Shippo.

"KAGOME!" he yelled excitedly when he saw her and jumped eagerly into her arms.

"Shippo," said Kagome as she hugged back the kitsune tightly. Sango and Miroku also came walking quickly towards the door. They were so glad to see their friend again.

"Sango. Miroku." Kagome greeted as she saw them. It had been three days since they last see each other, yet it felt so much longer.

"We're all so worried for you, Kagome," cried Shippo, sobbing a little in her embrace.

"I'm sorry I let you guys worried," said Kagome while she soothed Shippo by rubbing his back gently.

"I'm glad you are well, Kagome chan," said Sango.

"Me too, Lady Kagome," added Miroku.

"Don't worry. Sesshoumaru took great care of me," Kagome said smilingly as she turned her head around to where the Inu youkai was. But Sesshoumaru was not there anymore. She looked around the isle but there were no signs of the Western lord. _I wonder where he…_

"He must have gone when he saw us," suggested Sango.

"I guess so," said the miko dejectedly. "By the way, where is Inuyasha?" she asked, her voice faltering.

"Don't know, he must be sulking somewhere." Said Miroku.

"Yeah, he got pretty hurt badly," added Shippo. He had stopped sobbing already but still clung onto Kagome. "Come on, let's eat. I'm starving."

"Oh!" the miko exclaimed quietly, her face ashen. They had sat down on the tatami mats with a tray filled with food in front of them. There was a bowl of rice, miso soup and four side dishes.

"I think Shippo means physically hurt. Inuyasha was knocked unconscious by one of the Inu guards," explained Sango as she lifted her chopsticks to eat the delicious meal.

"You mean Inuyasha actually tired to fight here," asked the miko.

"A stupid and rash action, I say," said Miroku as he put a fish ball into his mouth. "Delicious." He said quietly, enjoying the food.

"Beats me," added Shippo as he too picked up a piece of Sashimi to eat. "Hmm. Nice."

"He's fine now, Kagome. He woke up this morning yelling that he's going to beat up that guard." Said Sango.

"I see, " said Kagome relieved as she finally pick up her chopsticks to start eating. " So Sesshoumaru told you guys what happened?"

"Oh, not exactly," replied Sango. "Yesterday he just told us you bore his child while Inuyasha was trying to fight him."

"Then we figured the rest of the facts ourselves," continued Miroku, emptying his bowl of miso soup.

"You should have told me earlier, Kagome," said Sango.

"I can't, Sango chan. You know how hard that is," explained the miko.

"True. " said Sango. "So, what happened for the past three days?"

"Yeah, we are so worried for your safety, Kagome." Said Shippo as he too finished his miso soup.

"Sesshoumaru don't eat human beings," joked the miko. "I guess he treated my wounds, See, they are all healed. " Kagome lifted her kimono sleeves to show her friends her once injured arms. "Then I found out I'm going to have a baby."

"Have you thought what you are going to do?" asked Sango wearingly

"I accepted this whole scheme, of course. The child is innocent too," replied Kagome firmly. "And Sesshoumaru vowed to take care of the child." She ended beaming.

"The Western Lord did change, didn't he? Gone soft." Said Miroku as he finished up his breakfast.

"You could say that. He's not bad to us at all." Added Shippo, referring to the tasty food and comfortable stay in the castle.

"Phew. I thought this would be tough, you know, talking to you all about this things. Really, you guys made me feel so .. so…" Kagome paused trying to find the suitable word. "It's just that I didn't expect this talk to go on so smoothly." She finally finished sentence, expressing her gratitude to her friends.

"We will always stand by your side, you know, Kagome chan," said Sango, smiling reassuringly at Kagome.

"Hn." Agreed Miroku. "The most important thing now is to find Naraku."

_Naraku. _

The name of the detestable hanyou. The atmosphere of the room became serious as every one in the hall quiet out.

"Hey, let's cheer up. You all must have walked a long way to reach here. I could take you all around the gardens. It's really pretty and not far from here. " suggested Kagome.

"A light walk after appetizing food. That's wonderful." Miroku said as he sidled to Sango and touched her hips.

"Hentai!" scolded Sango as she slapped the monk hard.

"Ha-ha-ha!" the other two laughed. Miroku sure knew how to lighten the atmosphere.

Meanwhile, the sulking hanyou, Inuyasha was sitting on a tree branch, surveying the Western castle, deep in thoughts. It had been so long, more than a century, he reckoned, since he last seen this place. After his father, the great Tai youkai died, his mother and him was arranged to stay in a small building of the this Western castle, with only a few maids and servants. He rarely saw the Western Lady and doubted she wanted to visit them at all.

After his mother's death, he stayed in the castle, alone, with no acquaintances or playmates. No one in the Western castle would want to have some association with a hanyou like him, even if he was also a prince of the Western Lands. Then, he left the castle when he was old enough and started traveling around Japan, not wanting to come back to this place any more.

_Keh! Bad memories!_

Then he smelled his half brother's scent and felt his presence.

The Western lord had left the miko with her friends while he went to look for his half brother. Not that he like it. They just have much to discuss. And he preferred it to be a discussion between the two of them only.

Sesshoumaru had just walked towards the tree that the hanyou was resting when the younger Inu jumped down from the tree, facing him.

"What do you want?"

"My,my. Have you forgotten how to behave in front of your superior?" the older Inu said with a smirk.

"Superior my ass." Inuyasha spat.

"Is this how you greet your brother?" asked Sesshoumaru unfeelingly.

"Half brother. Asshole." Said Inuyash huffily.

"Such vulgarities. I wonder what she sees in you." Commented Sesshoumaru.

"Where is she now?" asked the hanyou, alarmed by the fact that the Inuyoukai actually spoke about her.

"In the hall. Dining with the rest of the companions." Answered the Western Lord. "I'm rather curious that you didn't join them."

"Like I would tell you." Inuyasha shot back. "Miroku and Sango told me everything that happened.

"This Sesshoumaru is aware of that."

"Pompous ass. Care to explain why you did that?" Inuyasha asked glaring at his brother.

"This one knows what you are asking," Sesshoumaru said raising his eyebrows.

"Don't give me that shit. You perfectly well know what I'm asking. I know about the poison that Sango talked about. It's the one made by the old baba living on Mount Fusaki. I have learnt how to control it and I don't see the reason why you could not." Inuyasha spat, raising his voice at his half brother.

"You dare insult this Sesshoumaru," the Western lord glared back at his half brother as he clenched his fist under his kimono sleeves.

"Hell, I wouldn't dare." Inuyasha said not caring about the young lord's anger. "She attracts you, doesn't she?"

The lord kept quiet, fully aware Inuyasha was referring to the young miko.

"That's why you f- , you lost control. Gah! I can't even say that damn word." Bellowed Inuyasha.

Again, the lord remained silent. Staring at the hanyou coldly.

"Keh! I knew it all along. The way you look at her. Funny that I didn't realize why you saved her from the disgusting brat of the Sichinintaichi (sorry, if I misspelled it)"

The lord didn't say a thing as he look intently at the hanyou. He didn't have to explain himself. He was still unsure of his feeling towards the miko, Kagome.

Taking his silence as a cue that he's right. Inuyasha continued. "Don't be too hopeful. Kagome's very hard to be pleased, especially not from you."

"We will see."

"Did I hear wrongly or have you got a fever?" Inuyasha snapped back.

"This Sesshoumaru will challenge you then." Sesshoumaru said with an air of confidence and pride, ignoring his half brother's nuisance.

"You want to fight me? Oh yay, I have been waiting this for the whole morning," shouted Inuyasha, extremely irritated by his half brother as he prepared to pull out his sword.

"Not now. Kagome's here." Warned the lord.

_What did he just call her? _Inuyasha thought but before he could say something, he heard Kagome calling his name.

True enough, the miko scent filled the air with his arrogant half brother's and he could see her running towards them, waving her hands at him or rather them.

"Inuyasha!" the girl called his name excitedly, smiling happily as she saw him. "Oh, hi Sesshoumaru." She said glancing at the young lord; she seems to realize that he was there too when she was a few feet away from them.

After leading her friends to the gardens, Kagome had excused herself to look for Inuyasha, while her friends continue wandering in the gardens.

"Can I have a word with him alone." She asked quietly, looking at Sesshoumaru.

"You don't have to ask permission to talk to me, Kagome," yelled Inuyasha. "I will just kick him off this field."

"Inuyasha," she stared angrily at him, warning him that she would sit him if he say another word.

"Hn." The young lord agreed, looking at the miko as he nodded to her. Totally ignore the fact that his younger brother was also present.

He had agreed because he still had other things to attend to. He still needed to make much arrangement and to plan things since he had decided he would accompany Inuyasha and his companions to find Naraku. He knew Inuyasha would not be too happy to concur but Sesshoumaru never listen to anyone nor will change his mind due to a childish hanyou. He had his own reasons. Plus, he wanted to get rid of Naraku as soon as possible.

"Thank you." Smiled the miko. "See you later."

The Western Lord nodded again at the miko before leaving the two alone.

"What was that?" said Inuyasha, very annoyed with his half brother. He had noticed his half brother's youki subsided after Kagome came, as if he was at ease. _That jerk._

"Inuyasha…" Kagome paused, trying to think of something to say.

"You need not explain anything. I know what had happened. Thanks to Miroku and Sango." Inuyasha folded his arms as he said.

"Then why didn't you join us for breakfast?"

"I'm not going to eat that bastard's food!" exclaimed Inuyasha.

"I thought it's because you wouldn't want to see me," said Kagome, feeling relieved.

"Keh! So you came running to us and interrupting my fight with that freak." Said Inuyasha, frowning at her.

"Hey! That's not fair! I came because I want to see you, you idiot!" Kagome huffed. "And it's not wise to fight here, you stupid dog! You will get hurt again!"

"Whatever. So that bastard treats you well?" scowled Inuyasha.

"Stop calling Sesshoumaru that. He's your brother! And he's not that bad after all." She nearly shouted at him, sick of the brothers' rivalry.

"Not bad? He's a devil, I say!" yelled Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, I came here to talk to you, not argue with you. Why can't you just be more mature?" Kagome shouted back, putting her hands on her hips as she glared at the hanyou.

"Yeah, yeah. I rather be a childish pup than a pokerfaced dog like that bas- Owf!" Before he could say another word, Kagome said the magic word.

"Osuwari!"

The hanyou immediately submitted to the spell.

"Why did you do that for, wen—ch?!" Inuyasha yelled angrily at the miko as he lifted his head up from the ground, but he paused slightly at the last word when he saw Kagome now kneeling in front of him silently. Her hair covered her face so he could not read her expression.

"Kagome?" he asked warily. Then he smelt salt. "Hey! Hey! I'm sorry, Okay? " Inuyasha waved his hands frankly in front of the miko, unsure of what to do.

Then to his surprise, the girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and hugged him tightly. "I'm so scared. So afraid of what's happening." Sobbed the girl.

"Silly wench." Said Inuyasha as he tried to soothe the girl by caressing her hair. He was taken aback by her change of emotions.

"You won't leave me, right?" asked the sobbing girl. To be frank, Kagome was afraid that her friends would not come to the castle. She felt very lost during her stay in the Western castle.

"Bah! Of course not!" said Inuyasha, looking at Kagome. The girl sure was feeling better now but Inuyasha added "You still got to find the shards."

"Geez, can't you say anything sweet?" said Kagome, though slightly annoyed; she smiled back at her good friend.

Yes! It's finally finished. it's really tough writing this chapter. I hope you guys like it. Please tell me about what you think about the conversations between the characters. I hope it's okay. Thanks.


	9. Travel

**Travel**

"Why is that dog following us?" commented Inuyasha, referring to his half brother.

It had been almost a month since they had left the Western castle. Sesshoumaru had inquired to join the group to hunt down Naraku together. The group was astonished by the Western Lord's request but they all understood his intentions. They had guessed that one of the reasons was the young lord would want to take care of Lady Kagome.

During the one-month, they had not met many demons, largely due to the presence of the Western Lord. Still, there were a few demons that were attracted to the Shikon shards and are stupid enough to try and attack the group, eventually they all met with the same fate- death. There were no signs of Naraku yet and the group had decided to go back to Kaede's village to take a break and gather information about Naraku on their way.

"Stop complaining, it's good to have him with us." Kagome said, annoyed.

"Yeah. We were all saved from the attacks of other demons in the region," added Shippo.

"Keh!" snorted Inuyasha.

"I understand your feelings, Inuyasha." Miroku sympathized with Inuyasha. He had dared not touch any girls, not even Sango or flirt with the village girls on their journey back to Kaede's Village. One time, he joked about going to peep at the girls bathing but was given a cold warning glare from the Western Lord. He was scared out of wit by it and from then on, he was very cautious of what he say and do and decided that it was better to stay closer to Inuyasha.

Miroku signed as he turned his head slightly to glance at the Western Lord who was walking beside them a few feet away with his usual expression. Jaken was following faithfully behind him with Ah Un.

"Ungrateful humans. How could you say such disrespectful things about Lord Sesshoumaru," said Jaken. "Lord Sesshoumaru must be bewitched to travel with such rude humans like you. Argh, Lord Sesshoumaru, please pardon your little servant, Jaken must have slipped his tongue again." Jaken quickly bowed down respectfully and quit his babbling but neither Sesshoumauru nor the group was paying attention to the little demon and continued walking.

Sesshoumaru had brought along Jaken and Rin to follow the group and the group had gotten used to Jaken's babbling and complaining about this and that. Rin had made a great companion for Sango and Kagome, especially Shippo. She was now walking with Shippo, chattering with him. On their way, Shippo had performed many tricks to Rin and both of them enjoyed it very much. For Rin, it was magnificient and for Shippo, he was pleased whenever Rin clapped and praised his performance.

"Jaken sama, hurry up!" called Rin as she saw Jaken was still bowing to no one in particular in the middle of the track. The little demon immediately ran after the group with Ah Un.

Suddenly, Inuyasha stopped walking and sniffed the air.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" asked Miroku.

"Naraku's scent." Inuyasha replied and yelled at his half brother. "Hey there, did you smell that too?"

"This one is well aware of the hanyou's presence." Answered the Western Lord.

"Bah! Let's go then. Kagome, climb on to my back." Instructed Inuyasha.

"Eh?" Kagome had just stopped talking to Sango and was still quite unaware of the situation.

"Hurry up." Urged Inuyasha as he bent down.

"Oh! But…." She looked at the Western Lord who was frowning slightly. He was obviously not happy about this arrangement. "It's all right, Inuyasha. I will ride with Sango chan."

"Hah…" Sango said, looking at the three figures.

"Whatever! I'm going first before that Naraku run away again." With that, Inuyasha ran towards the smell of Naraku.

"I guess I got to run." Said Miroku dejectedly.

"Monk, you ride with the Taijiya." Instructed Sesshoumaru suddenly. "The miko will go with me."

"What?" exclaimed Kagome, who was surprised by the Taiyoukai's instructions.

"All right. Kagome chan, we will go first." With that, Sango and Miroku took off with Kirara to follow Inuyasha.

"Jaken."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru."

"Stay here with Rin and the kit." Instructed Sesshoumaru yet again.

"Ah?" but before Jaken could say another word, his lord had left with the miko in his arm.

"You should have let me ride on Kirara, you know." Kagome complained as she was gripping tightly onto the Taiyoukai's sleeve. _Oh kami, don't let me fall. _

"Be still. This Sesshoumaru do not wish you to be out of his sight," explained Sesshoumaru as he gathered speed to meet up with Inuyasha.

"Still, you could just follow behind Kirara." Kagome grumbled, though she did not mind being carried by the young lord. She had not been so close to him before, not that she could remember the last time. She had tried to recall what actually happened on that night but she could not remember a single thing. It made her nervous to be so close to him, even though half of it was due to the height.

Inuyasha stopped in front of a clearing. A figure was standing in the field. No, it was not Naraku. It's …

"Kagura." Inuyasha greeted with much annoyance. He had his sword pulled out, ready to strike anytime. It was not long before the others had arrived too.

"Yo! Halfbreed. So, Naraku was right. You are traveling with your brother, Sesshoumaru." She turned to face Sesshoumaru. Her eyes slightly widen when she saw Kagome being so close to the demon.

"What's your business here?!" demanded Inuyasha

"Nothing of any importance. Here take this." Though she was talking to Inuyasha, she threw something to Sesshoumaur, who caught it swiftly.

"A Shikon shard." Said Kagome who was standing close to Sesshoumaru now, looking at the shard that was in Sesshoumaru's hand.

"Why are you helping us? Demanded Inuyasha as he pointed the Tesseiga at Kagura for explanations.

"Helping you?" chuckled Kagura. "I'm simply trying to find a way to destroy Naraku faster. By the way, I almost forget. Naraku told me to bring the girl over to him." She said, pointing her fan directly at Kagome.

"Touch her and you will regret." This time Sesshoumaru said as he stood in front of Kagome protectively.

"Ho-ho-ho! I guess Naraku wouldn't have expect this, Sesshoumaru." Laughed Kagura as she flipped open her fan playfully.

"Where's Naraku?" bawled Inuyasha.

"That I cannot say. But I could tell you one thing." Kagura paused as the group listened attentively to her. "Destroy Magatsuhi first if you want to destroy Naraku. That guy held the power of the girl which Naraku feared so much." She finished looking at Kagome slightly.

"What? Who's Magatsuhi?" Inuyasha asked but Kagura had already taken off with her feather.

* * *

"There it is." Kagome said to Sesshoumaru as they were standing in front of the well. "It's transport me to where I belong, to where my family is."

They had arrived back to Kaede's Village two days later after the meeting with Kagura. Lady Kaede had told them that Matsuguhi was the dark side of the Shikon Jewel, which must have sealed Kagome's spiritual power. Hence, she concluded that they should heed Kagura's advice and destroy Matsuguhi fast.

Kagome had decided to go back home for a week to clear things up and stocked up some resources for their upcoming journey. She had told Inuyasha not to follow her home, as it would be better if she went alone. The hanyou reluctantly agreed and after she bid farewell with her friends in the Feudal Era, Sesshoumaru asked to accompany her to the well. He explained briefly that it was for her safety, but Kagome felt that he was curious about the well as well.

Now, they had arrived at the well and Sesshoumaru just stared at it. The couple remained silent for a while longer, before Kagome said she should go home already. As she started walking towards the well, the Western Lord stopped her.

"Wait."

"Hmm?" Kagome turned her head back to look at the young lord. The wind brushed softly against her raven hair.

"This." Sesshoumaru said as he held his hand out slowly, the Shikon shard that Kagura gave him was resting on his palm. "You should keep it." He finished as he put the tiny shard into Kagome's receiving hand.

Their hands touched and Kagome brushed a little at the contact.

"Thank you," she thanked him smilingly and took out her miniature bottle as she gently put the shard in with the others. "There you go," she commented causally as she held out the bottle for the young lord to see before sliding it back inside her pocket.

"Anything else?" she asked as Sesshoumaru continued to just gaze at her. "Well, if not, I will go home now." She said nervously as she put her legs onto the side of the well, ready to jump in.

"Take care." The young lord finally said.

"You too. Good bye." She waved at the young lord and then jumped down in to the well, back to her warm and cozy home.

…………………………………………………

Please review. Thank you so much . :D


	10. Introductions

**Introductions**

"Here. I would like you to have this." Kagome said as she held out a small item to the Western Lord. It was an omamori, a protective charm (amulet). "It will guard you and keep you safe. It's really useful in my homeland." Kagome explained as she smiled brighlty at Sesshoumaru.

Kagome had come back to the Fedual Era and brought back some snacks for her friends as well as stock up her medical kit. She had already given her friends the usual gifts they wanted from the modern world, plus an omamori for every one, she even prayed one for Jaken, who received it with much tears.

"I have no need for this thing."

"It's rude to reject someone's gift, you know. Inuyasha and the others all had one. I had specially gone to get it for you. Just take it as a gift for the Shikon shard." Kagome said, urging him to accept the gift.

She had tried very hard to think of something to give back to the Western Lord for the Shikon Shard and not knowing what he liked, she decided to pray for an omamori for him too.

"Hn." Sesshoumaru took the protective charm from the miko and examined it for a while. The charm was light blue in color, with the word "safety" sewed on it. "It's beautiful, I'll keep it," Sesshoumaru commented before putting it inside his sleeve.

"Really? Great, I have a hard time choosing a pattern of the charm that suits you. I'm glad you like it," said Kagome, smiling cheerfully at Sesshomaru. "We better go meet up with the others, Inuyasha is complaining about the delay."

"The hanyou never learns," said Sesshoumaru as he prepared himself to walk back to the village.

"True," giggled Kagome as she followed Sesshoumaru back to meet up with the others in the village.

* * *

It was nighttime. The group had walked across the Edo roads and streets and was on their way to Kyoto. They were quite tired from the walk and decided to rest for the day. It was time for dinner and Kagome was lighting up a matchstick to ignite a fire for boiling water.

"Wow! Lady Kagome can also perform magic tricks like Shippo," exclaimed Rin when she saw how quickly the matchstick light up with a stroke against the matchbox.

"That is another useful gadget from Kagome's time. It helps to create fire," explained Shippo as he prepared to put the pot over the firewoods.

After a while, the Ramens were cooked and Kagome and Sango helped to pass the Ramen cups to each of the members. Jaken had stubbornly refused to eat it, saying they were trying to poison him. However, upon seeing Rin and the others enjoying the delicious smelling food, he decided to taste a bite. In the end, he took the whole cup and finished it without pausing.

"Where is Sesshoumaru?" asked Kagome who realized that the Inuyoukai had not returned from his so called "walk" around the area.

"Keh! He probably got lost in the woods." Said Inuyasha.

Kagome frowned at his comment but said nothing and it was not long before they started preparing to sleep. Kagome had decided that Rin should sleep in her sleeping bag while she would just lie against the tree like Sango and the others. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, she could not get used to the position and remained awake while the others slowly drifted to sleep. She could hear the snoring of her friends and the chirping of crickets in the woods.

_He's not back yet. _

Since she had nothing else to do, she decided to look for the young missing lord. She carefully stood up and walked away from the camp into the woods. She had brought along her bow and arrows just in case. The wind was cold and she felt lucky that she had put on her sweater.

_Where could he be? _She wondered as she continued walking deeper inside the forest. There were some fireflies among the trees, lighting up the dark forest. Suddenly, she felt a strong youki and saw a white figure in front of her. No doubt, it was the Inuyoukai she was looking for.

"What are you doing?" asked Sesshoumaru coldly.

"Eh?" Kagome was taken aback by his sudden coldness. "I, er, am looking for you. You have not come back from the camp since evening and I was wondering where you could have been." She finished sincerely, looking back at the western lord timidly.

Sesshoumaru did not spoke for a while and then he said, "Come," before turning around and walking away in the other direction.

Kagome took his cue and followed behind him unquestioningly. They stopped at a river nearby and Sesshoumaru sat down near a tree with his back leaned against one of the oak tree. Kagome sat beside him and looked at the scenery quietly.

"Who is that wolf?" Sesshoumaru broke the silence first.

"Huh?" Kagome gave him a confused look before she realized whom he was referring to.

It was Koga. They had met with the wolf prince that morning in the middle of the track. As usual, Koga would greet Kagome as his woman with her hands in his but this time Sesshoumaru stood between the wolf prince and the miko before the wolf prince could do anything. Sesshoumaru glared at Koga dangerously and Koga, who was annoyed at the Inuyoukai's action, demanded an explanation of his actions. However, Sesshoumaru just drew out his sword and was ready to fight the Wolf prince when Inuyasha intervened. Inuyasha told Koga it was best to leave them alone now, since his half brother was very much pissed off. Koga too sensed the flow of youki from the Inuyoukai and took his leave, waving back at Kagome as he promised he would come back to visit her another day.

"Oh you mean, Koga kun. He was a wolf prince and a friend of mine." Explained Kagome, looking back at the river.

"A friend?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"Yes. Just a friend." Kagome said firmly as she added with a nod.

"He called you his woman." Stated Sesshoumaru unemotionally, his voice hinting an explanation.

However, the girl's response was not what he expected. She was giggling at him.

"What's so funny?" demanded Sesshoumaru, feeling uncomfortable about not knowing what he had done to amuse her.

"You are jealous," the girl commented as she continued giggling.

"This one is not," said Sesshoumaru defensively.

"I know. Ha-ha," Kagome chuckled, looking at the young lord playfully as she continued. "You must not be mistaken. Koga just had this weird habit of calling me his woman. There is nothing to it at all."

_There is nothing to it. _Sesshoumaru thought, relieved at her explanations.

"So that's what bothers you?" asked the miko lightheartedly as she looked at him.

The young lord just stared back at the river with this poker face, refusing to answer her.

"Oh well," said Kagome as she put her hands in her sweater pocket. "Aha! I almost forget it. Here, I brought this along to show you." She held out a photograph to show the Western Lord. "It's a photograph of my family. I thought you would like to know them."

Sesshoumaru took the photograph and examined it as the girl continued to explain to her what a photograph was and pointed in the picture to introduce him who's her mother, grandfather and brother, as well as her pet –Buyo the cat.

"Your father?" asked Sesshoumaru.

"He….he's not around anymore," replied Kagome softly. It had been a long time since she mentioned about her father to anyone.

Sesshoumaru did not say anything else and returned the photograph back to Kagome. They sat quietly for a while more and Kagome yawned, covering her mouth.

"You should rest," said Sesshoumaru.

"I guess so too," Kagome replied before letting out another yawn. "Where's the way back to the campsite?" she asked sleepily.

But before she could stand up, she felt Sesshoumaru's hand around her shoulder as he placed her softly on his lap.

"Ah," the girl squeaked and blushed at her new position.

"You will rest here."

"But.." Kagome protested but before she could utter another word, she felt a white thing covering her like a blanket, keeping her from the cold. It was warm and she preferred this position than leaning against the tree.

"Sleep," said the Western Lord but it was not long before he heard the girl's shallow breathing as she fell into deep sleep.

Looking at the sleeping girl now, Sesshoumaru took out the omamori. The golden thread that formed the words "safety" shined faintly under the moonlight. He felt insecure that the girl would also be fighting against Naraku despite her pregnancy now. This was the first time the Inuyoukai felt irresolute. No doubt he would protect the girl from Naraku during the last battle but the problem was could he. Maybe this tiny bag could be of use just like what the miko had said early.

_Let her be safe. _

Sesshoumaru prayed silently as he put the omamori back inside his sleeve and gently caressed the girl's hair.

* * *

Hi guys! Just to clarify something for some of you. In this story, Kagome and Sesshoumaru do not love each other yet. But they would eventually, of course. So, there would not be much romance but much more of affections between them. (Anyway, I feel that Japanese are more conservative, LOL) Yup, sorry if it still confuses you.


	11. Crisis

A/N Hey guys. This chapter will be fast forward to after the last battle with Naraku. Naraku is finally dead and the battle was somewhat similar to the original one accept that Kagome did not return to her time after that but instead was injured very badly. (The girl always got pretty wounded.) I am not keen in writing the battle scenes so I would just wrote what happened after that. (sorry ) By the way, Sesshoumaru had also gotten back his arm and his own sword. So here we go…

* * *

**Crisis**

"Kagome!" called the young lord worriedly as he looked with much concern at the girl now slumped in his arms.

"It hurts," mumbled the girl as she frowned. Sweats formed on her forehead quickly. Her body hurts a lot like thousands of needles poking her. There seems to be also a hot plate burning inside her.

"Hold on. Stay conscious," said Sesshoumaru as he tightened his hold on the girl. He felt unease about the condition of the girl. Her body temperature was rising rapidly. It's no good.

"Conscious? ….k… Three fives... gives ..fifteen." she whispered and whimpered in pain.

_What is she doing? _Then he realized she was doing multiplications in her mind to keep her from sleeping. _Clever girl. _Unknown to the Inuyoukai, Kagome had learnt this trick from television programme.

"Two eights… sixteen. Two nines…. Eighteen." The girl continued muttering.

He quickened his pace back to the village as the girl continued mumbling multiplications on their way. All was well, she could say out the answer correctly but her response was getting slower as she began slipping in and out of conscious. Her body was burning now, if nothing was done quickly, she would soon pass out.

Finally, they reached Kaede's Village and without any hesitation, Sesshoumaru opened the door of the village miko's and went inside the room. Kaede was kneeling in front of a statue of a Shrine god and praying. She had heard the door opened with a slam and was shocked to find Sesshoumaru standing there with a very ill Kagome in his arms.

"What happened to Kagome?" Kaede asked worriedly as she went forward to examine Kagome.

"Posioned. She can't purify it. Can you heal her?" explained the young lord.

"I see." Kaede nodded quickly and she turned away walking towards the back room. "Follow me. Quick." She urged the lord but there was no need as Sesshoumaru had already gone inside the back room before her. "Put Kagome down here." She instructed, pointing to a futon that was already laid there.

"Let me see." Kaede quickly kneeled down at the side of the miko and started to feel her pulse.

After a while, Kaede requested the young lord to wait outside for a little while so that she could change Kagome's clothes as well as tend to her other injuries if any. The lord stood outside but not for long when he saw Kaade came out of the room to take a pail of water with a cloth in it. Then she glanced at Sesshoumaru slightly to tell him that he could come in to the room already.

"I have never seen this before, not even my spiritual powers can heal Kagome," said Kaede as she rinsed the cloth dry and wipe the miko's forehead. "I will brew some medical herbs to lessen the effects of the poision but I doubt it will be of help. This poison is something that human could not heal."

The lord did not say anything and Kaede went out of the room to boil some water and select some medical herbs after she cooled down Kagome a little.

"Sesshoumaru. Are you there?" asked Kagome softly. Her head felt dizzy and she was had not even the strength to open her eyes.

"I'm here, Kagome." Assured the lord as he moved on to place his hands in her.

"Where am I?" whispered Kagome as she felt alleviated that Sesshoumaru was by her side and grasped his hands loosely. She was afraid, all she could feel was the soft futon on her back and the immerse pain in her body. The coolness of a cloth on her forehead she felt early had lessened some of the pain.

"Kaede's willage. It will be all right." Replied Sesshoumaru softly as he tightened his hold.

"I see," came her soft respond as her lips twitched up slightly forming a smile. _She will be all right ._"Will you stay?" whispered Kagome again, afraid to be left alone in the room.

"I will stay, Kagome. Rest now." Sesshoumaru promised as he positioned himself more comfortably at the side of the futon.

* * *

It was already past midnight. The rest of the group had arrived back to Kaede village as well. Upon hearing about Kagome's condition, they were all very worried. Inuyasha had yelled at Sesshoumaru saying it was his fault that Kagome was in this state.

"Bastard! If anything happen to Kagome, I will never forgive you!" shouted Inuyasha with fury after taking a look at injured miko.

"Inuyasha, it's not Sesshoumaru's fault," said Sango softly, trying to sooth Inuyasha.

"Not his fault!" yelled Inuyasha hotly, "He practically pushed her into danger!"

"Inuyasha, you are being unreasonable, it's chaotic during the battle," said Miroku, bandaging his injured arm.

"You know how the battle is like," added Sango tiredly as she moved on to take care of her injuries too. "It's nobody's fault." She had also breathed in some miasma and had barely recovered on the way to the village. She still felt a bit dizzy and was not in the mood not did she have the energy to argue with Inuyasha.

"Keh!" Inuyasha spat as he turned away from his friends and leaped into the forest. Since then, he had not come near the hut but instead lay on a nearby tree, refusing to talk to anyone.

The group had decided to stay up to take turns to look after Kagome, however, due to the battle, their exhausted body soon fell into deep somber.

Kaede had come into the room to check upon the poisoned girl. Feeding her the medicine she had brew and wiping her forehead with the towel. The girl was feeling slightly better now but her fever still had not gone down. Now, Kaede had changed the water and brought it in again to relieve the girl's fever.

"You should rest too. Let me do it," said Sesshoumaru to the old miko. He could see that she was exhausted.

"Ay," Kaede hesitated but dare not disagree with the young lord and placed the bucket at the side of the bed before leaving the back room. She had known about the truth and trusted that the Taiyoukai would take care of Kagome.

Sesshoumaru had never taken care of a sick person before but he learnt fast. After seeing how the old miko had wiped the sweat from the girl's repeatly. He carefully took the towel from the bucket and rinsed it dry. Then he began pressing it gently on the girl's forehead and down her face and make sure he did not wake the girl up. Her face was pale and her eyebrow was brought together slightly due to the pain. Upon feeling the cool towel on her forehead, the girl whimpered as her eyebrows relaxed, feeling much more comfortable.

Sesshoumaru was worried, the poison was constantly attacking her body and her body was too weak to fight it off. He took out the light blue omamori she gave him. It had not worked. Though it did protect him and kept him safe from the battle, the miko was still in danger. Sesshoumaru felt an urge to burn it instantly. _Stupid human's stuff. _However, he did not have the courage to do so. The miko had prayed for his safety with this thing and not hers. It was the miko's gift to him and he had promised to keep it. With little thought, he placed the small cloth between his hand and hers. He prayed silently again for the miko's safety and hoped that it would work this time. For her.

Looking at the girl's pale face, his mind started thinking. The old miko had said that she did not know the poison and that no human could heal the young miko. If that's the case, he knew a place that could save the girl.

_There's only one place where Kagome could be healed. His mother's._

"Mother," the young lord greeted his mother. Sesshoumaru had traveled immediately to his mother's castle the next day after knowing that his mother may be able to save the miko. He had not waited for the group's reactions, for he had told the old miko where was he heading. Then, there he was standing in front of his mother with the injured miko resting in his arms.

"So Sesshoumaru do you actually not hate humans? You brought a bigger one this time," the lady said. As usual, she was sitting down, with a hand placed on the chair to support her head.

"Save her," Sesshoumaru said. He had no time to play with his mother; he needed to get this matter done quick and fast.

The Lady looked at him. "You are more like your father. Asking for help to save someone you can't protect. Why this girl?" she paused a while before continuing," Last time I remember wasn't her. Who is she?"

"Kagome. Save her," came her son's brief and fast reply. His voice was hinting slight impatience and anxiety.

"Hmm… You are the one who need help, son. This is not the way to ask for help." Said the Lady smiling unpleasantly. She was always fond of seeing her son's multiple emotions rather than his usual pokerfaced.

Sesshoumaru glared at his mother. But upon sensing the girl's aura weakening and whimpering in pain, he said again this time with sincerity, "Please save her."

"You really learn fast, Sesshoumaru. Why sudden the change? Why for this girl?"

Then Sesshoumaru's mother felt it, a faint youki mixing with the girl's aura, not her son's but another youkai's.

"You…" This the first time the Lady's short of words. She almost jumped up from her seat. Now, both her hands are resting on the handles of the chair. She looked at her son who was looking back at her with much the same expression but she could see his worried and felt his heart blacken with guilt due to his failure to protect her, she guessed. Now she realized how much the girl meant to her son. She was overwhelmed by the truth though she did not show it out. Still, she was shocked by his son's actions. Choosing and protecting a miko, the ultimate enemy of their kind.

"All right. I will treat her but on one condition." The Lady told her son finally.

"What?" asked Sesshoumaru with resentment. He knew his mother would not do him a favour with nothing.

"That I cannot answer you yet. Follow me." The Lady said and without another word, she left her seat and headed inside the castle.

Sesshoumaru nodded and he followed his mother. She led them to a room not faraway from the main hall, with nothing but a futon.

"You could lay her down there," said Sesshoumaru's mother as she light a few candles to brighten the room. He followed his mother's instruction and laid the girl down softly on the futon. She was still asleep but whimpered softly involuntarily due to the pain in her body.

"Hmm…this is not a usual case, say, Sesshoumaru, would you mind entertaining your mother how the girl came to this state?" said the Lady as she finished checking on Kagome.

"Naraku, a detestable hanyou" came her son's reply. Sesshoumaru's mother had never heard of the evil hanyou's name but upon hearing her son said the name full of hatred and acid, she knew that this hanyou must be revolting to him. In fact, Sesshoumaru felt an impulsive urge to retrieve the disgusting hanyou's life and tore him up into pieces again and again.

"You should stay outside, son," instructed the Lady as she prepared herself to treat the girl.

"That would be unnecessary," Sesshoumaru said as he stood up and moved to the corner of the room.

"It's not appropriate," said his mother to him.

However, her son continued standing in the room and glared at her.

"Suits yourself," his mother muttered and moved on to treat the girl.

* * *

How long had it been, he did not know. However, it was worth it when he saw her face turned back to its normal radiant colour, her cheeks were rosy and her body temperature dropped back to normal. She looked as healthy as she was the last time.

"You should really thank me, my son," said the Lady as she sat on the tatami mat with her hand resting on one of the handle of the Tatami chair. Sesshomaru and his mother were in the room beside where the girl was resting. There was only a shoji door separating the room.

Sesshoumaru looked back at his mother with disinterest but thanked her courteously as he bowed his head slightly. All the while, he was sensing the miko's aura silently.

"I heard that humans of samurai's parentage had a habit of placing the child under another higher ranking lord's care. And you do know we Inuyoukai do have similar practices," said Sesshoumaru's mother with a slight smile and was quite pleased with her son's attitude.

"This one is aware of that," said Sesshoumaru, unsure of what his mother was trying to say.

"The child in her womb, it will develop into a full demon," said the Lady and she saw his face filled with shock but she continued.

"Though I do not know why but I think it may be due to the treatment. Still, this one would not allow her grandchild to be a halfbreed, can she?" she asked rhetorically.

"What is your purpose of telling me all this." Sesshoumaru inquired with slight irritation.

"You are a clever one, son. The exchange."

"You want the child," guessed the lord with astonishment. _She can't do that._

"Yes, in exchange of the girl's life, I would like to raise this grandchild of mine," said the Lady conclusiveness.

* * *

Please review! Thanks.


	12. A new beginning

**A new beginning**

"Master Jaken, look, I found lavender!" Rin said with glee as she continued picking flowers from the grassland and ran around to search for more different kinds of flower.

"Why must I be still taking care of this little girl?" grumbled Jaken as he followed the girl behind with his two staff head while Ah Un was lying on the grass resting. It was a bright and sunny day, a really good day for relaxing.

"Rin! It's time for lunch!" shouted Kagome who was standing a few feet away from them, waving to the small group.

"Hai~! Here Lady Kagome, Rin picked many flowers for you," Rin said with a smile as she ran towards the older girl.

"Thank you, Rin. They are beautiful," Kagome said as she accepted the flowers. There are lavenders, love grass and many other small flowers. Though the flowers were not as brightly coloured as roses or tulips, the different colours which formed the bouquet were beautiful and alluring.

"Can Rin touch your stomach?" the little girl asked shyly as they reached the hut.

"Of course," Kagome said as sat down on the wooden corridor softly and placed the flowers neatly beside her. Rin placed her hand lightly on the older girl's round stomach and caressed it.

It had been three months since the last battle with Naraku and after being treated fully by Sesshoumaru's mother, Kagome had decided to stay in Kaede's village until the baby's born. She had already informed her family about the whole situation and that she would return only after six months or so. Since then, she had been looking after Rin and helping out in the village. Rin was always curious about the abdomen of the older girl which was growing bigger each day and was very fond of it.

"Rin want to have a baby too," the little girl said innocently.

"You are still too young, Rin," chuckled Kagome at the naïve girl, "Wait till you are older, Rin."

"I really wish to play with this child," Rin said as she leaned herself closer to Kagome's abdomen. She knew that once the baby was born, she would have to part with him/her and would not have a chance to see the baby grow up. Then she felt Kagome tensed and realized her mistake.

"Ah! Sorry, Lady Kagome. Rin didn't mean to," she apologized, looking straight at the older girl's face regretfully.

"It's okay. Come let's join the rest before the food turns cold." Kagome forced out a smile and led the girl into the hut.

After lunch, Kagome and Rin decided to help Kaede to pick some herbs. The field was not far from the village and the villagers had grown some herbs in their gardens.

"Look! I found parsley!" Rin exclaimed as she handed the herb to Kagome who was sitting down on the grassland with a basket beside her to contain the herbs they collected.

"Well done, Rin," Kagome praised the girl as she put the parsley inside the basket. It had been quite a while since they started their work and had collected enough herbs for the day.

Rin stretched out her arms to ease her muscle ache and looked up to observe the sky when she saw a white figure, which she immediately recognized as her guardian – Lord Sesshoumaru.

"Lord Sesshoumaru~!" Rin shouted as she waved at the figure, feeling energized once again.

"Rin, have you been good?" the young lord asked as he landed in front of the little girl.

"Hn! Rin is very very good. See, I'm helping Lady Kaede to pick herbs for the villagers." Rin said with glee as she held out the bunch of herds she collected.

"Good," the young lord caressed her hair and the girl smiled back. Then Sesshoumaru's eyes shifted to glance at the older girl resting among the grasses, sorting out the herbs.

"Hi," the older girl said as she looked back at him for a while before continuing her work.

"Rin, I brought you a new yukata," the young lord said as she handed a new piece of bright green coloured yukata to the little girl. Rin had grown much for the past months and the young lord had prepared many new yukatas for her to change.

"Wow! It's beautiful. I love it. Thank you, Lord Sesshoumaru," Rin said with joy as she looked at her new yukata. It was nicely sewed with grass patterns knitted on it.

"Hn," the young lord nodded, "Rin, go find the villagers."

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru," she replied. Though she was surprised at his words, she knew her guardian's words were law. Then she ran off quickly with some herbs and her new yukata. She's going to try it on tonight and show it to Jaken.

After the little girl left, the young lord turned to face the older girl and looked at the scenery passively.

"How are you?" he said as he took a quick look at her.

"As usual," Kagome replied, not bothering to look back at him as she placed some herbs inside the basket.

"Kagome, I want to talk to you," Sesshoumaru frowned at the girl's "lack of enthusiasm" respond.

"I'm listening," the girl retorted.

Sesshoumaru paused before saying,"My mother will take good care of the child."

"I know that."

"Kagome, look at me." The young lord said. She had been ignoring him since they came back to the village. He knew she was angry with him, knew that she would never forgive him. Still, he wanted to talk this matter out.

"What?!" the girl said with annoyance as she lifted her head up to glare at the young lord.

"I know you are angry with this Sesshoumaru and I don't seek for your forgiveness. I deserve it." Yes, he felt guilty that he hurt her again. He felt guilty that he could not hold up to his promise to protect her, take responsibility for the whole thing. He felt guilty that he can't even protect their right's to keep the child.

"No, Sesshoumau, you are wrong." Kagome said as her eyes soften.

"How so?" Sesshoumaru said as he arched an eyebrow.

"It…it just hurt," the girl said softly with her crestfallen face as she looked down again and continued placing herbs into the basket. "Not able to raise this child myself…. But my father once told me sunshine always follows rain and I believe that. So, I realize your mother has a point to make and I do understand about her actions, I mean, I read books on the history and traditions of daimyos and aristocratic people. And if I want to continue my studies, I think this arrangement is the best. Really, anyway, I really need to thank her for saving my life, saving the child's life. Plus, it's not like she would not let us see the child."

"Kagome…." Sesshoumaru can never guess what was going on in the girl's head. She's so understanding, full of compassion, caring , forgiving and always placing others before herself. He had never seen anyone like that before, not in his whole life. He always thought humans were the most selfish, weak and ingratitude creatures on earth. However, after meeting this girl, this miko, Kagome, he felt his opinions on humans waver. She showed him the other side of humans which he never would believe exist. What was she?

"Thank you," he said finally, finishing his sentence. He didn't know what else to say.

The girl just smiled and moved to stand up. "Owf! It's so hard to get up," Kagome complained as she struggled to lift herself up with her new weight. Oh man, she hated putting on weight. Not that she had a choice.

Sesshoumaru extended a hand out to her and Kagome took his hand gratefully as he helped her up.

"You are big," the young lord said teasing, his eyes glistened.

"Hey! That's not the right thing to say to a girl," she huffed and said with a firm voice, pointing out a finger at him," Rule Number One: Never tell a girl she's fat unless you are asking for an early death."

His smirk was knowing and playful as he replied "I never said that, I said you were big,"

"It's the same thing, you idiot! Fine! Let me rephrase, Rule Number One: Never imply or tell a girl she's fat. How is that?" Kagome said. She almost shouted.

"Better," the young lord nodded his head as he helped her carry the basket.

_Geez, I can't stand him. He's such a big jerk!_ Kagome thought as she followed him slowly back to the village.

"So what's rule number two?" asked Sesshoumaru, arching an eyebrow at her as his smirked.

* * *

"He's perfect," said Sesshoumaru's mother as she cooed the new born child in her arms.

Sesshomaru and Kagome arrived at the castle a week after the baby was born. The Lady was delighted to hear that the miko had safely delivered and how could she have been anything but ecstatic that it was a boy.

"Indeed," her son said agreeing with his mother.

"Girl, your name is Kagome," the Lady said as she turned her attention to the miko.

"Yes, my lady," replied Kagome, not knowing what the Lady would say to her.

"As the mother of the child, I would grant you to visit the boy as often as you want."

"Thank you," Kagome said thankfully. She was both shocked and delighted. She knew it was a privileged for mothers' to see their child in the daimyos family. Never had she thought Sesshoumaru's mother would say that. She was glad and thrilled that she would be able to see her boy grow up.

"So, have you named him?" asked the Lady, looking at her grandson once more.

"Yoshiaki," replied Sesshoumaru.

"Righteous glory. It suits him." The Lady said as she caressed the baby's face. He looked exactly like his father, except for the lack of stripes on his face and his sapphire eyes. "All right, Yoshiaki, you are with grandmother now."

They all knew it was not an ending of their journey, it was only the beginning. The beginning of a new life, a new family, a new expedition.

~END~


	13. Writer note

Hey guys, thank you for reading this story and your support. I do know that I tend to make a lot of grammatical errors and misused some words. Still, I am really happy and pleased to know that you like this fic. Also thank you for reviewing, I really appreciate them.

Anyway, just want to say that I am planning to write a sequel for this story: _The truth hurts_. The sequel will most likely to be titled: _Outsider._ I am still brainstorming so pls be patient and wait. Meanwhile, I will also try to update the other fic. Yup, so really thank you. :D

Happy New Year.

Love,

Take-bamboo


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